(A) The purpose of this section is to establish guidelines and procedures regarding reimbursement of town agencies and civil preparedness forces serving during a declared state of emergency over two hours in length. The declaration of emergency may be ordered by the President, the state’s Governor or the town’s First Selectman. Town agencies will be reimbursed for labor costs and material expenses. Civil Preparedness organizations will be reimbursed for material expenses and compensation for time. (See division (E) below.)
(B) Civil preparedness forces are defined as any organized personnel engaged in carrying out civil preparedness functions in accordance with the provisions of Conn. Gen. Stat. § 28-1(a) or any regulation or order thereunder. All the police and fire forces of the state or any political subdivision of the state or any part of any political subdivision, including all the auxiliaries of these forces, shall be construed to be a part of the civil preparedness forces. Ambulance personnel are included as well due to the fact that they are organized personnel recognized in the town’s local emergency plan of operations. Town agencies are defined as organized personnel paid by the town to provide certain services; they include, but are not limited to, Police Department, Department of Public Works and the like.
(C) It is accepted that routine emergencies for volunteer services, i.e., fire police, fire, ambulance, average two hours in length. Therefore, any emergency, as described in division (A) above, over two hours is deemed to be over and above the regular responsibilities of such forces and should therefore be compensated for. This compensation is in consideration of the fact that for events over two hours in length volunteer personnel must lose time from work; such as, vacation, personal or unpaid time off.
(D) Civil preparedness organizations shall be compensated for documented hours of service. Each chief of services will be responsible for providing an accurate schedule of personnel and hours worked to the Emergency Management Director within 24 hours after a declared state of emergency has ended.
(E) Civil preparedness organizations shall be compensated at a rate applicable to the cost of obtaining similar services from a commercial service rendering such services. The responsibility for obtaining this information lies with each chief of services. This information will be submitted to the Emergency Management Director as close to the end of the emergency as is possible.
(F) Town agencies shall be reimbursed for labor costs for the emergency. Costs for town personnel shall be submitted to the Emergency Management Director within one week of the emergency. Each agency head will be responsible for submitting this information.
(G) Each agency providing emergency services, both town agencies and civil preparedness organizations, shall submit to the Emergency Management Director a written schedule outlining materials used, lost or damaged during the emergency. Along with this schedule, additional support should be submitted; for example, purchase orders, paid invoices and the like.
(H) Reimbursement of these expenses is allowed, pursuant to Conn. Gen. Stat. § 22a-451(a), which states (in summary) “any person, firm or corporation which directly or indirectly causes pollution and contamination...shall be liable for all coats and expenses incurred in containing, removing or mitigating such pollution and contamination.”
(I) The Emergency Management Director shall submit in writing to the person, firm or corporation who appears to be most liable in the emergency a schedule of costs and expenses by department. This invoice shall be submitted within three weeks of the emergency.
(J) In the event that reimbursement cannot be settled within 90 days of the submission of a formal invoice, the town’s attorney will initiate proceedings to collect 150% of the billing in addition to reasonable fees.
(Ord. passed 10-14-1992)